Jimmy Carter Sunday school – Roadkill Crossing

My wife and I with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia.

Today, the nation says farewell to its 39th president. The state funeral will be held in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.. In contrast, a private service will be held tomorrow at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, where Jimmy and Rosalynn attended and Jimmy taught Sunday school.

That’s where the above photo was taken on March 1, 2015. While vacationing in northeast Florida, Neva and I decided to visit Plains and attend the Sunday school class taught by the former president. At age 90, he was reducing how often he led the class.

Jimmy was scheduled to teach the day after we needed to leave Florida, so we drove the four-and-a-half-hour drive from Fernandina Beach to Plains. When we arrived, we drove around Plains, which didn’t take long given the town’s small size. We also visited the Jimmy Carter National Park, where the visitor’s center is the old Plains High School.

We enjoyed our brief tour there and saw the Nobel Peace Prize that Jimmy was awarded in 2002. The old schoolhouse is much like it was when Jimmy attended there.

We also wanted to stay overnight in Plains, but the bed and breakfast had no vacancies. The perk to staying there gave patrons a front-row seat at the church, where the owner, Miss Jan, also attended. Plus, she was Amy Carter’s third-grade teacher.

Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia.

We met Miss Jan the next day after standing in line for a while. She took charge and barked out the procedures for entering the church, starting with passing through the Secret Service agents’ inspection. Much like filing through TSA at an airport, we emptied our pockets, and agents ran a wand up, down, and around everyone. So, the long line was slow going.

We had arrived early, but many others had arrived earlier. Perhaps they had the same idea. Like us, they had heard the praises of Jimmy’s teaching, and given that he was 90, they wanted an opportunity to listen to this humble former president’s wisdom.

Once in the church, we sat near the back since so many were ahead of us. The modest brick church surrounded by pecan trees wasn’t that large, so we could still see and hear well. Suddenly, Miss Jan appeared again and, like a drill sergeant, metered out the rules of the morning. Once Jimmy began teaching, no photos were permitted.

Since the church was packed, latecomers had to sit in the fellowship hall and watch a live stream of Jimmy Carter’s lesson. That’s how popular his teaching was.

If you wanted a picture with Jimmy and Rosalynn, you had to also stay for the church service. His class was the hour before the worship service. Then, Miss Jan asked us to bow our heads, and she said a lovely prayer. When the “Amen” was announced, we looked up, and Jimmy stood there smiling and waving to the congregation.

Jimmy Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church on March 1, 2015.

A collective “awe” echoed through the sanctuary, and Jimmy began his lesson. I don’t remember the scripture he used, but I can never forget the meaning of his message. Be humble and serve others.

That perfectly summed up Jimmy and Rosalynn’s life after leaving the White House. They established the Carter Center in Atlanta, whose purpose mirrored that of the Carters: peacebuilding, working for democracy in global countries, and improving human rights. Other goals include improving health and economies in third-world countries, ensuring fair elections, and educating people about the effects of climate change.

Jimmy and Rosalynn spent years supporting and assisting on sight Habitat for Humanity projects. They were great humanitarians. From my perspective, Jimmy was the most effective former president the United States ever had.

We stayed for the church service, and afterward, nearly everyone wanted a photo with Jimmy and Rosalynn. Miss Jan had the method down pat, and we got our photo. It was one of the proudest moments of my life to stand next to such loving human beings, an ex-president and a first lady.

Farewell, Godspeed, and thank you, Jimmy!

Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter — With Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

By Bruce Stambaugh

Humility, service, love, family and faith are vital pillars of any stable community. My wife and I enthusiastically witnessed these highest of human qualities at a little Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.

We knew we wouldn’t be the only ones who would want to hear Jimmy Carter teach Sunday school. When the former president is scheduled to teach, the tiny congregation of 30 swells to 10 times that amount, sometimes more.

The good folks at Maranatha Baptist Church know what to do. They are ready for the ensuing onslaught. So are the authorities.

When we arrived at 8:30 a.m. at the modest church that damp, gray Sunday morning, a police dog checked every vehicle entering the property for bombs. Though we were plenty early, a line of people already stretched from the front door, down the cement sidewalk to the parking lot.

By now, former President Carter has developed quite the reputation as a teacher, humanitarian, and world-renowned peacemaker. At age 90, he and his equally gracious wife, Rosalynn, are still putting their faith into action.

Noble Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter — Jimmy Carter’s Nobel Peace Prize medal. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

My wife and I joined the queue to enter the red brick building. A stern looking woman popped onto the church’s front porch to announce the procedures for entering. She spoke loudly and resolutely so everyone could plainly hear the specific instructions to make everything go as smoothly as possible.

Secret Service agents greeted us inside the door. We emptied our pockets onto a table and removed our coats. Another officer checked everyone with a wand for any suspicious objects.

We sat in a pew about two-thirds of the way back from the pulpit. Promptly at 9 a.m., the same drill sergeant like lady walked to the front of the church and introduced herself as “Miss Jan.”

Miss Jan spent the next 45 minutes kindly but firmly going over all the rules of conduct. Included were not standing or clapping for the president and no photography during the class or worship. We could take pictures during Jimmy’s brief introduction.

Miss Jan continued, “If you want your picture taken with the President and First Lady you must stay for both the Sunday school and the worship.”

After a brief break, Miss Jan, who had taught the Carter’s daughter, Amy, in elementary school, had us all bow our heads for a prayer. When she said, “Amen,” Jimmy Carter surprised the congregation when he rose and began addressing the crowd. He and his Secret Service guards had quietly sneaked in during the prayer. We hung on his every word.

Miss Jan kept watch over the assembled. She occasionally hugged or bent down to shake the hand of a Secret Service agent, as if she were welcoming them back to a family gathering. The affection they shared was for more than themselves. Their common assignment of protecting the president they loved and admired expressed their uniform devotion.

Jimmy Carter, Sunday school — Jimmy Carter was making a point during the introduction section of the class. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

The topic was loving God and your neighbor. Jimmy humbly shared how organizations he supports, like the Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity, and The Carter Center in Atlanta, help him put this charitable concept into global deeds for peace and human rights.

Jimmy used the word “humble” several times, pronouncing it the old-fashioned way, without the beginning “H” sound. It modeled his southern, gentlemanly hospitable manner.

After the service, Miss Jan resumed command, dismissing us by rows to have our pictures taken with Jimmy and Rosalynn. When she came to our row, I told her she must have been an excellent teacher. Miss Jan winked, smiled, and quietly thanked me.

Miss Jan had instructed us not to either shake hands with the Carters or to talk to them so that everyone could get through the process as quickly and efficiently as possible. When the lady taking the photo with my camera clicked the shutter, Rosalynn whispered to Neva that the flash hadn’t gone off.

That was so thoughtful of her. The picture was fine, just like Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, and Miss Jan, too.

The communion cup of love, faith, family, humility, and service generously overflowed in Plains, Georgia. We were grateful to have been partaken.